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Hewlett-Packard May Have to Pay Damages for Service Maintenance
A Russian consumer rights NGO has sued Hewlett-Packard for increasing time of its products’ repair due to the lack of spare parts. Should the court satisfy the claim, everyone dissatisfied with HP’s maintenance work would be eligible for compensations. Experts say that HP does not have much chance to win. Market players view the case as a precedent which may force producers to give up repair services.
The Consumers Legal Assistance Federation has sued Hewlett-Packard over delays in repair of broken products without the replacement of goods. The delays are extremely lengthy and widespread, according to the federation’s lawyer Alexey Monakhov.
The lawsuit covers the period of the last three years, which means that anyone who had their equipment repaired within this time will be able to seek damages if the suit is upheld.
HP Russia admits delays in service maintenance earlier, but says that now the average repair time is twenty days.
Industry experts note that court tends to side with the plaintiffs in most consumer rights cases. If the court rules to uphold the suit, HP may have to pay up to $2 million to consumers.
“The precedent itself would be dangerous,” says Gleb Mishin, head of Acer’s Russian office. “It is most likely to trigger a surge of suits to other producers who are often not to blame.” Mr. Mishin added that problems with repair tend to appear because cargoes with spare parts sometimes have to stay longer at customs houses. A possible court decision against HP may also force producers to hand aftersale services to other companies, analysts predict.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of May 18, 2007
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